The Time of Angels

Mateo was asleep on the couch when Luna walked in with some food. She sighed, and turned the TV off, pulled a blanket over Mateo. She turned off the light and left. That's when a blast of light exploded in front of Mateo, causing him to cover his eyes. As the light mostly faded, he saw a familiar sight: a woman coated in light. He smiled. "Illeya."

"Hello, young one." She replied. "I'd love to chat, but there's something I came here to do."

"What is it?"

"Your friend, Shiho. I didn't think the Darkness would have activated him so soon, and I apologize for that." Illeya explained. "I've come to right the wrong, but I'll need your help."

"My help? There won't be much that I can do, considering the shape my arm is in."

"Don't worry. What I'm planning will most likely heal you in the process."

"What are you planning?"

"A merge."

"A merge?"

"Yes." Illeya answered. Mateo sat up as she sat on the couch next to him. "There is so much dark energy around Shiho and the others two that follow him—"

"Two? He must have found one of the other Azure Signers."

"Indeed." Illeya replied. "But with every passing moment, and with every Signer that he corrupts, the dark energy increases. It has grown to a point that for a light entity like me that doesn't have a physical form, it is almost impossible to appear before him. However, if we merge, it fuses us together temporarily. We would share a body, and I can even use that to heal you at an accelerated rate."

"What is it that you are planning on doing?"

"Well, while I can't manifest before him due to the strength of his darkness, I am still a powerful entity of Light." Illeya explained. "He is the epicenter of the shadow. If I defeat him, the power that flows in and about me will pass to him and cleanse him of the shadow, and might also pass on to the other Signers and end his threat once and for all."

"So you're going to Duel him?"

Illeya held up her deck. "That's right."

"Then let's do it." Mateo decided. Illeya nodded, and put her head on his as she started to glow even more. After a flash of light, Mateo's eyes opened, glowing white for a moment before fading. He sat up and pulled his arm out of the sling, causing his body to involuntarily wince.

You certainly did do quite a number to your arm, didn't you, Mateo? Illeya asked.

"You can thank Shiho for the extent of the damage." Mateo replied. "Although I did put myself in that situation."

It should be completely healed in no time. Illeya said as Mateo stood up. He picked up Illeya's deck, which was sitting on the end table. He walked over to his bag and took his deck out of his Duel Disk, replacing it with Illeya's, before putting the Duel Disk on. Then the light clicked on.

"Mateo Yurigaya, what do you think you're doing?!" Luna demanded, and Mateo turned around.

"I've got no choice, Luna."

"Like hell you don't! You need to rest!"

"I can't. Not now." Mateo sighed, looking down. Then he inhaled sharply before looking back up at Luna. His eyes flashed white for a moment, and she took a step back.

"What the…"

"Luna. You must allow us to leave." Illeya spoke, a white visage of her appearing over Mateo's body.

"Us?" Luna asked, confused.

"My name is Illeya. I am an emissary of the Dimension of Light, and I must right my wrong." Illeya replied. "I can only doing that by merging with Mateo and dueling Shiho Bengo."

"But… But if you lose, won't Mateo get corrupted?"

"No. Mateo will be safe so long as I am here. I will stave off corruption, even if I have to sacrifice myself to do it." Illeya replied. "If you wish, you may come to watch the Duel. If it will set your mind at ease."

"Yeah. Yeah, okay." Luna put her coat on as Illeya relinquished control of Mateo back to him.

He is in an old area of the Satellite district, one of the un-renovated areas. Illeya told him, her visage fading. Go to him there. And then we will attempt to right this wrong.

Mateo nodded, and walked away, Luna at his side.

"Now that we have three of the four Signers, we almost have everything we need to begin our battle against the Crimson Dragon!" Shiho smirked as he looked at Adachi and Sasuke. "Once we find the last one, we'll be ready!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Mateo said. Shiho turned around, bewildered, to see Mateo and Luna standing opposite him at the entrance.

"Mateo?" Shiho asked, surprised to see him so soon after leaving him in that warehouse.

"Not exactly." Mateo's eyes flashed white, as Illeya took over. Shiho growled.

"Anya."

"Actually, I prefer Illeya now."

"Whatever you prefer. You betrayed the Darkness and joined the Light."

"I have come to challenge you."

"Time was, you didn't need to merge with a human for that." Adachi stated, but Mateo/Illeya looked at him.

"The shadow that flows around you makes it hard to appear without a physical form. This was the best option."

"So you intend to lose. Let's face it, you essentially walked Mateo to us." Sasuke said, almost distant, like the words weren't truly his. "With him on our side, the Crimson Dragon will surely lose!"

"Mateo will not fall to you today, even if I do." Illeya stretch Mateo's left arm, which was now completely healed. She activated his Duel Disk. "But that does not mean we cannot have a Duel."

"Very well, then. Let's have a Duel." Shiho activated his own Duel Disk.

"Stand back." Mateo said to Luna. She took a few steps back as Mateo looked back to Shiho, Illeya taking over again.

"Let's begin!" They shouted in unison.

Illeya: 4000 LP
Shiho: 4000 LP

"I'll go first." Illeya said as Mateo drew the card. "I summon my Shining Angel in defense mode!"

"An Angel monster? Could you be any more cliché?"

"Get over it. I'll set one card facedown and end my turn!"

"My turn, then!" Shiho drew a card. "I summon Azurian Paralegal in defense mode! I'll place one card facedown and end my turn!"

"Interesting." Illeya replied. "At my End Phase, your Paralegal will be replaced with Azurian Attorney because it is in defense mode. Looks like I'll have to deal with it, then!"

"Make your move, then!"

"Very well, I draw! And I'm going to switch my Shining Angel to attack mode!" Illeya pointed at the Paralegal. "Attack Azurian Paralegal with Feather Storm attack!"

"Not so fast! I'm going to use my Civil Disobedience trap card!"

"Sorry, but I will not be allowing that!" Illeya's facedown card opened up. "My facedown trap card is the Holy Host! When I control a Fairy-type monster, I can activate this card to negate the activation of another spell or trap card on the field, and I can destroy it! So that means that my attack continues forward!"

The Shining Angel spread its wings and flapped them, causing feather-shaped bolts of light to pierce through the Paralegal, and it exploded. Shiho frowned. Illeya pulled a card from Mateo's hand. "I'll set one card facedown and end my turn!"

"My turn, then! And I summon Azurian Prosecutor!" Shiho exclaimed as his monster appeared to the field. "Prosecutor, attack Shining Angel!"

The Prosecutor leapt at the Shining Angel, and with one swift motion, destroyed it, however it left behind a glowing entity.

Illeya: 4000 LP – 3500 LP

"What the hell is that?" Shiho pointed at the humanoid-shaped white light in the middle of the field.

"When you attack Angels, they bring more soldiers in from paradise. Let's just say that the Dimension of Light is Paradise in this instance." Illeya explained as a card slid out of her deck. "And by the effect of Shining Angel, I can special summon a LIGHT monster from my deck that has fifteen hundred or less attack from my deck, and I choose another of my Shining Angels!"

The glowing entity took form, spreading its wings as the light faded away, leaving behind another Shining Angel. "Now it's my turn! And I'll summon Angelic Cloud! And its special ability will allow me to special summon another Angel monster, and I choose my Petit Angel! Next, I'm going to tune my level two Angelic Cloud to my level four Shining Angel and level three Petit Angel! This bonding will allow me to call forth, from the heavens, the Archangel Gabrius!"

Angelic Cloud vanished, leaving its two level stars behind. The level stars flew up into the sky and transformed into shimmering white Synchro rings that dropped to the duel around Shining and Petit Angels. The seven level stars of the monsters inside flew out and aligned themselves in a straight line as a bright white light pierced through all of them and expanded to the innermost edge of the Synchro rings. As the light faded, Illeya's new creature extended its wings as it drew its mighty sword, prepared to fight.

Archangel Gabrius is a level 9 LIGHT-attribute Fairy-type Synchro monster with 2800 attack points, and 2000 defense points.

"Archangel Gabrius has a special effect! I can discard one Fairy-type monster or a card with the word 'Angel' in its name, and depending on the card, I can gain an effect!" Illeya pulled another card from her hand and sent it to the graveyard. "So I'll send my Guardian Angel Joan to the grave! And because I sent a monster, I can give my Archangel Gabrius her effect until the End Phase! Now, Archangel Gabrius! Attack Azurian Prosecutor with Archangel Sword!"

Archangel Gabrius launched forward and smashed the Prosecutor with its sword, causing it to shatter. Energy flowed through its sword, and then passed from Gabrius to Illeya.

Illeya: 3500 LP – 5400 LP
Shiho: 4000 LP – 3100 LP

"Whoa, wait. Time out!" Shiho shouted. "How did you increase your Life Points?"

"The effect of my Archangel Gabrius. By discarding Guardian Angel Joan, I gain its effect for one turn." Illeya explained. "Guardian Joan's effect increases my Life Points by the original attack of any monster it destroys in battle, meaning that since my Gabrius had that effect, I gain Life points equal to the Prosecutor's original attack!"

"Grrr!" Shiho looked up at the monster. How can I hope to defeat that thing?

"I can't allow you to do what you're about to do, Shiho." Illeya said. "It's nothing personal. But you'll never get past my monster!"